SportsWeek
section B ? Also Religion , Obituaries, Classifieds April 3, 2008
Gainey takes over Lady Phoenix
BY ANTHONY HILL
THE CHRONICLE
The coaching landscape
for girls high school basket
ball is seemingly getting
stronger with each year.
Head coach Brian
Robinson has done very well
at Bishop McGuinness (three
state titles). Reynolds
improved tremendously with
the success of first-year coach
Monty Gray (conference
coach of the year). Forsyth
Country Day hired a proven
winner in Craig Dawson (23-1
record last year) last month.
Winston-Salem Prep made
a strong hire of its own on
Monday when it appointed
Jonathan Gainey as the new
head girl's varsiiy_ coach?
Gainey becomes the second
girl's coach in the history of
the program.
"I'm excited and hon
ored," said Gainey. "There's a
lot of coaches that can coach
around here. I hope to be men
tioned with some of those
guys. Every coach wants to be
successful at what they do. I
know it's going to take work.
I'm willing to work. I'm just
honored (hat Mr. Watts gave
m? the opportunity to build a
program. It's good to know he
believes in me."
Prep athletic director
Ricky Holt added: "We feel
like coach Gainey is a young
and energetic coach that can
get the job done. He's
coached with Gould for a
number of years. Plus, we
wanted to hire someone we
knew could do the job. We felt
like he had the qualities to be
a successful coach for us. We
really feel good about him."
Gainey, who's coached
alongside Prep head boy's
coach Andre Gould, isn't
completely new to coaching
females on the court. He also
helped coach girls at
Reynolds a number of years
ago.
"It's not going to be a huge
adjustment for me," Gainey
said. "I was fortunate enough
to help coach Pennington with
the girls at Reynolds High
School. I've coached guys,
both varsity and JV, for a
while. It's the same game. The
ball is a little bigger, and the
boys usually have more ath
leticism. But it's still 32 min
utes of basketball. It's going
to be the same."
Gainey is described as, a
mild manner coach that
always stays cool ? even
under extreme pressure. Many
people associated with the
program feel like that's going
to be the detrimental quality
to help lead a girls program
that hasn't enjoyed a lot of
wins.
Sec Gainey on B2
Jonathan Gainey
Jumpin' Julius
c Photo by Charlie Pfaff
North Forsyth hurdler Julius Evans clears a hurdle during a track meet at North Forsyth last week. North Forsyth ,
Mt. Tabor and Davie County had respectable performances during the meet last week. Area track athletes were off this
week to celebrate their spring break. They will spring back in action next week.
Wake's James Johnson makes All-America.
Wake's Johnson
named freshman
All- American
Deac is only ACC rookie honored
by CollegeInsider.com
CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT
Wake Forest forward James
Johnson has been named a
Freshman All-American by
CollegeInsider.com and by
CollegeHoops.net.
Johnson was one of 16 rook
ies across the country to be list
ed on Collegelnsider.com's
Freshman All-American team.
He was the only freshman from
the ACC honored by the publi
cation. He is the second Demon
Deacon in as many years to
make Collegelnsider.com's
Freshman All-American team,
following Ishmael Smith's
selection in 2006-07. ?
Johnson was also named to
CollegeHoops. net's honorable
mention All-Freshman team.
Johnson, Duke's Kyle Singler
and N.C. State's J J. Hickson
represented the ACC on the pub
lication's teams.
Johnson was a third team
All-ACC honoree and a unani
mous selection to the ACC All
Freshman team this past season.
He also finished runner-up to
Singler in ACC Rookie of the
Year balloting.
The native of Cheyenne,
Wyo., became just the third
Deacon freshman ever to be
named All-ACC, joining
Rodney Rogers (1991, second
team) and Chris Paul (2004,
third team).
He led Wake Forest in both
scoring (14.6 ppg) and rebound
ing (8.1 rpg). He is the first
freshman to lead the Deacons in
both categories since Rodney
Rogers in 1991. Johnson is also
the first Deacon freshman in the
ACC era (since 1953-54) to
average at least 14 points and
eight rebounds per game.
CIAA tourney
is prospering
in Queen City
Figures show attendance at
'08 event was stellar
SPECIAL rOTHE CHRONICLE
The 2008 CIAA
Tournament, held in Uptown
Feb. 25 - March 1, marked
another conference and City
of Charlotte success. CIAA
fans flocked to the Queen City
for the six-day"
tournament in vast
numbers and made
the city home while
they filled arena
stands, uptown
restaurants, the Fan
Experience and
hotels throughout
the week. This
year's Tournament
? I new
WIIV1VU iiv <V<M> ..v ..
official events as w^l as an
abundance of individually
promoted activities that con
tinue to elevate the CIAA as
one of America's great sport
ing and entertainment events
in terms of fan experience(s),
social networking and eco
nomic success.
According to Charlotte
Regional Visitors Authority
research, the 2008 CIAA
Tournament accounted for
direct spending of over $20.5
million and a total economic
impact of $30.7 million over
the one-week period, up near
ly 14 percent from 2007
Tournament figures. In addi
tion to sold-out
attendance at tradi
tional CIAA func
tions, city organiz
ers, hoteliers and
local food and bev
erage businesses
recognized the bene
fits of the CIAA and
its loyal fans. Many
party promoters and
restaurants reported
double-diizit erowth
during this year's Tournament
week and they are already
planning for bigger things in
2009.
"The CIAA fans are the
best in the world," slated
CIAA Commissioner, Leon
Kerry. "They support the
CIAA Tournament and all the
activities associated with this
incredible event. We work
See CIAA on B2
Kerry
How to join Hall of Fame
FROM THE I
HUDDLE I
Anthony
Hill
Every year I get calls,
emails and other sources of
questions, wondering how
someone was voted into the
Winston-Salem/ Forsyth
County High School Hall of
Fame before this or that per
son.
Sometimes I'm even con
fused why certain athletes
around here aren't in the hall
of fame. For instance, why
aren't Will Rice, Norton
Barnhill, Robert Little, Louis
Lowery and Greg McClellan
in our high school hall of
fame? Somebody emailed me
to ask how Chris Paul could
be voted into the hall of fame
before Josh Howard. It's sim
ple, really. Winston-Salem
Sportsmen Club president
Robert Wynn is quick to let
me know why certain guys
may not be in the hall of fame.
"It could be because no
one has filled out an applica
tion for him," Wynn said. "A
lot of people say they don't
see how that guy got in before
me. The confusion lies in the
protocol. A lot of people think
it is the job of the Winston
Salem Sportsmen Club mem
bers to induct people into the
?-> Photo h> Anthony Hill
High Point Andrews head football coach Rodney McCoy earned a spot in the hall of fame.
hall of fame. We don't induct
anyone on the face of things."
"A person has to be nomi
nated. meaning that an appli
cation for consideration has to
be filled out," Wynn contin
ued. "That application can be
filled out by that person him
self. It can be filled out by his
wife, sister, brother, spouse,
son or anyone. The person
submits an application for
nomination. Then we will get
the sheet, contact the person
and tell them what documents
are needed for his particular
consideration for induction."
" What kind of documents
are you speaking of, coach
Wynn?
"It could be a scrapbook,
newspaper clippings or any
official document that proves
what a person did," Wynn
said. "If he or she is coming in
as a player then documenta
tion of his or her accomplish
ments must be furnished.
Whether he's alf-conference,
all-state, all-american, yards
gained per carry, number of
points scored per game,
fastest time, or whatever his
situation is. It has to be docu
mented. We also require pic
0 See HIU on B4